A Sew Through Time [Banbudh And Budbak]

36: Pest Problem

The door flew open with an explosive crash, echoing throughout the dimension. The empty, picturesque street flared across their sight. Singing a flashy Hindi song, the duo dramatically pranced out of the building and pointed their imaginary guns at both sides.

Budh gasped.

"Kya huya partner?" giggled Badri, "FBI open up ke baad bhi kuch mila nahi?"

"This isn't the Mahatma Gandhi Road I remember?" he grew confused and looked at his friend, "Koi Bapu ko phone lagao! Unka road bina karje koi aur occupy karliya!"

They drifted into the street, walking around like three domestic cats lost in the cityscape. The streetlights cast multiple shadows beneath their footsteps. The green fence caught Badri's curiosity. It stretched like a band of protection, disappearing into another realm. The distant voice of the sea, soft and rhythmic, reached his ears.

His fingers pressed against the cold, green mesh, whose chill bit into his skin. To his right, he spotted a lane adjacent to the fence barely big enough for a child to fit through. Curious, he stepped away from the fence to venture in when he felt something soft squelch beneath his sneaker.

He lifted up his foot.

A chunk of raw flesh clung to the road, which was littered with dozens, or more accurately, lakhs of little footprints.

The sharp wave of Deja vu crashed onto him again. Staggering back and blinking, he noticed Khushi crouching on the road, inspecting the little footprints as if searching for answers.

A hand touched his shoulder. He spun around.

"There's a market at the other side" reported Budh, "Where would we go?"

Hearing this, Badri stuck out two fingers and said,

"Choose"

He grabbed the middle.

"You pervert" he chuckled, "Let's go"

The supermarket doors stood shattered. The overwhelming stench made the duo pinch their noses. Badri accidentally tripped on the red brick, sending it flying across the dairy section. It toppled a row of expired dahi cups in its path.

"Heehee, you took lactose intolerant too seriously" giggled Budh.

The place hummed softly, a single light flickering in intervals. The food sections vanished into the gleaming darkness; the only available light was provided by the dairy corner.

Badri walked into the looming colossus of aisles.

"Bhai, find out some maggi fast!" Budh searched the aisle across, "Pet mey chuhe daur rahe hai!"

"Tera maggi hawa mey ban jayega kya?" snickered Badri, "We need water, stove and what not"

"If I didn't find something to eat right now, Ma kasam expired Surf excel chaba jaunga!"

"Eeekh, thu thu thu!" He gloated, "I'm not eating in such a shitty place anyways!"

Walking through, Budh discovered various things scattered on the floor. A large packet of crumbled Parle G biscuits rested on the floor, cartons of tropicana and fruit squashes leaked from its seals. Rows of snacks bore torn seals. His hand digged into the snack corner, pulling out a decent looking can of chips, sealed. Stashing it into his pocket, he continued to search for more.

In the next aisle, Badri analyzed a jar of molten toffees, when he accidentally kicked into something jittery.

Looking down, he found a sack of rice sprawled across the floor.